Archive for the 'Duke' Tag Under 'UCLA' Category

1. This Jabari Parker kid is something else. Since Kansas' Andrew Wiggins became the most talked-about player in college basketball before he played a single game and Kentucky's Julius Randle was deemed his best competition, drawing comparisons -- athletically, at least -- to Lebron James, all Jabari Parker has done is outscore both by five or more points per game, shoot at least three percent better from the perimeter, and prove himself to be more of a lead dog than either of the purported top-two prospects in this year's freshman class. What Parker has showed through just 10 games has been outstanding, with only Michigan and Arizona able to hold him to less than 20 points. So how does UCLA go about stopping him? Great question. He's almost unstoppable from mid-range and can penetrate with the best of them, so UCLA's best hope will likely be to bate him into forcing up 3-pointers. He hasn't shot well from long range recently, but is still 47 percent from distance on the season. Jordan Adams will likely draw the tough assignment of going heads up with Parker, but he'll have plenty of help from Kyle Anderson and Norman Powell. If Adams is the primary guy, it'll be the hardest heads-up matchup of his college career. He's been great in forcing turnovers so far this season, but his lateral quickness has never quite been tested by a guy with Parker's skill set. Anderson could be an interesting choice to defend Parker, given their similar size.

2. Can Kyle Anderson stay hot from long range? The one-time liability from the perimeter is 9 for his last 11 from behind the arc and is shooting with as much confidence as he's had since coming to Westwood last season. UCLA coach Steve Alford credits that to Anderson making a slight change in his jumper's release, eliminating the slight hitch that once hindered him. It's certainly paid dividends so far this season, with his field goal percentage up almost nine points. He'll be playing in front of 50 or 60 friends and family members in his first official game ever at Madison Square Garden, just 30 minutes from where he grew up in Fairview, N.J. -- so you can expect Anderson to be ready to make a splash in this one. If he can continue shooting like he has been and distribute efficiently against a Duke defense that will rank among the best UCLA has faced this season, then the Bruins might have a shot.

3. There's no better measuring stick at this point in this season than Duke at a neutral court. UCLA was exposed a bit in its loss to Missouri and has played just one game since, rolling over Prairie View A&M. The defense is the main (and legitimate) concern, especially given Duke's ridiculous efficiency on offense (No. 2 in adjusted offense, per KenPom.com), but the offense is what stalled against the Tigers two weeks ago. An extended shooting slump would probably doom UCLA in this one. Alford also gets a chance to prove himself against one of the greats of college basketball, which should make for an interesting chess match, especially in regards to Parker. Duke has the advantage in this one, but if UCLA can get hot, who knows what could happen.

With UCLA's non-conference basketball schedule starting to round into form, the school announced today that it'll be one its way to Las Vegas again for a tournament this November.

The Las Vegas Inivitational tournament will consist of UCLA, Northwestern, Missouri, and Nevada as its four main draws, with Gardner-Webb, Morehead State, IUPUI, and Chattanooga serving as the opening round games -- all of which will take place at campus sites. It's slated for November 28 and 29 at the Orleans Arena.

It's not the most thrilling draw for UCLA fans, especially considering that the Bruins will play Missouri at some point during the non-conference schedule, while the other two teams finished far out of reach of the NCAA Tournament last season.

But news of the Las Vegas Invitational may be long forgotten if speculation about another one of UCLA's non-conference matchups is true. According to a tweet from Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, UCLA is looking into a much bigger marquee opponent.

Duke and UCLA are finalizing details for a game in late December at Madison Square Garden, per multiple sources. Date is still TBD.